


Bait

by Silver_Charm



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Beta Read, Gen, Humor, Supernatural - Freeform, Varian is trying his best, demanitus has seen worse, dork to dork communication, monster hunting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-20 08:21:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30002025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silver_Charm/pseuds/Silver_Charm
Summary: {The Monstrumologist Au} Pilot. Varian's first monster hunt results in some complications.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7





	Bait

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! So, this story is sort of like a pilot for an Au that I'm doing. Later on, I plan to write a series for it. Now, you may ask yourself, "what is this Au about?" Well, Varian is an assistant to Lord Demanitus, who is a monster hunter that studies monsters. Crazy shenanigans and adventures ensure.
> 
> Anyways, I would like to give a shout-out to my beta readers from Tumblr, who were kind enough to help me out with this story! whitecatindisguise & turtlegirlave!

Within the browns and greens of the thick woods, there was a small clearing. And set on the ground was a wooden plate. On top of it laid a cut of dark smoked ham; its delightful aroma floated noticeably all around, unknowing of who it may attract. From a distance, hiding in the bushes, Demanitus and Varian watched in boredom.

Varian lightly tossed the net from one hand to the other. He then looked at Demanitus.

"Sooo... uh, how long does it usually take for a Spotted Jumper to come around here?" He asked. "Thirty-minutes? An hour? Two hours?"

Demanitus moved a bit to get into a more comfortable position. He then turned over to the boy and shrugged.

"I'm not exactly sure. The last time I did this, I waited for nearly five hours." Demanitus answered. He raised a brow. "And it's called a Spotted Hopper, not a Spotted Jumper."

“Ah... right, haha, guess I got the words mixed up. I mean, they both indicate a very similar action, but their meanings are diff-.” Varian paused and saw that his boss had his attention back on the bait. He peered down at the ground and murmured. "Never mind..." Varian then rested the net on his lap.

As he continued to wait alongside Demanitus, he took a moment to enjoy the peaceful setting around them. A warm and gentle breeze playfully ruffled his dark hair. Of course, he paid no mind to fix it. His eyes began to wander around. Seconds went by before they abruptly stopped at a lone caterpillar, who was mindlessly crawling near him. Varian smiled and picked up the wiggly insect. He then set it on one of the leaves, and with a finger, patted its back.

"There we go! Now you get to have a front-row seat!" He said.

Demanitus blinked and then shot a confused look towards his assistant.

"Who are you conversing with?" He asked.

Varian's face flushed from embarrassment, realizing that he has spoken aloud. He gave Demanitus a sheepish smile. "Ah, I was talking to the... caterpillar." He pointed to the insect, who seemed in a daze from being moved to a different spot. "This one right here, heh."

"I see." Demanitus said. Again, his focus returned to the cut of meat. "Dear boy, if you wanted a conversation, all you had to do was ask. Unless you are implying that the caterpillar is a better conversation partner than I am."

Varian shook his head. "No, sir! I didn't intend to make it seem like that! I just... wait, you're messing with me, aren't you?" Despite the innocent smile that his boss was giving him, he could tell by the look in Demanitus's eyes that he was right. He raised a brow, looking unamused. “Haha, very fun-.” The rest of his words died out when he noticed something close to the plate. 

It was a rabbit.

With a quick observation, Varian noted its white coat with dark spots on its hip. He, along with Demanitus, watched as the animal moved its long, slender body around the bait. Its straight tail twitched as it slowed to a stop. The rabbit then lowered its head and sniffed the ham.

Suddenly, the sound of sharp cracks filled the air when its mouth opened wide. A thick, grey tongue crawled out and curled around the meat. And just like that, the thing consumed it in mere seconds.

“Hungry little one, aren’t they?” Demanitus joked.

Varian gripped the net and gave a nervous nod. “Yeah, I guess so, heh.” He could feel his heart pounding as the creature sniffed the air.

Its eyes slightly widened when it captured Demanitus and Varian's scent. With an excited grin, its head snapped in their direction and let out what seemed to be a mix of a purr and gurgle.

Beads of sweat began to appear on Varian’s forehead, his pupils shrinking to the size of pin pricks. He didn’t like the look that the Spotted Hopper was giving them. A sudden hand on his shoulder made him nearly jump out of his skin.

“Do you recall the plan that I shared with you earlier?” Demanitus asked.

“For suicidal reasons, we have it come to us?” Varian answered. His mind began to play out dozens of scenarios of how it would turn out. All of them resulted in something bad happening. “Yeah, sorry, I'm still a little lost on WhY wE wOuLd do ThAt!?"

Demanitus ruffled the boy’s hair, letting out a chuckle. “It’s more fun this way.” He said. Seeing that Varian missed the humor in his statement, he shook his head. “In truth, I find the idea to be easier. Why tire ourselves out trying to catch it if we can just let it come to us? I know it may seem like a fool-…”

As he continued talking, Varian’s attention slowly went to the demonic rabbit. He pulled the net closer to his chest when he saw that it was getting ready to charge at them. “Uh… sir?” He said. “Behind us? Spotted Hopper?”

“…tiri would probably say-. Hm?” Demanitus said. It then dawned on him that he was rambling. His shot his assistant a sheepish smile. "Ah, of course. My apologies." He then stood up and stretched, a net of his own in one hand. “Remember, if I fail to capture it, you will back me up. Understand?”

Varian weakly gave him a thumbs up in response.

With a nod, Demanitus turned just in time to see the Spotted Hopper shoot towards the two. Its running start sent tufts of grass and bits of dirt flying behind it. Demanitus adjusted his hold on the net. His only eye followed the movements of the creature as it was getting closer and closer. As it closed the distance between them, it took a leap, sharp incisors ready to sink into the man’s neck. Without hesitation, he quickly swung the net only to smack the thing's face, merely stunning it as it dropped to the ground. 

"Moon above!" Demanitus said. "I could've sworn that I'd timed this correctly!"

Snapping out of its daze, it decided to change its prey and lunged for Varian. He let out a cry of surprise and tried to scramble away. His feet tangled, and he tripped, landing on his rear. He then found himself holding the creature back, one hand on its neck, the other wrapped around its stomach. Varian held back a gag as the smell of its horrid breath hit his nostrils. His grip tightened as it shook in his grasp.

“A little back-up for the back-up would be nice!” Varian cried out.

He wrestled the critter, desperately avoiding the gnashing teeth.

Demanitus, with an idea, quickly went to his assistant's side. "Keep your head down as much as possible." He instructed.

Despite being confused, Varian did as he was told.

At that moment, Demanitus hit the Spotted Hopper with as much force as he could. It flew up, letting out a yowl as it did so. It was on the way down that it was caught in a net swung by the man. He then clasped his hand near the top of the netting, closing the opening. The demonic rabbit angrily trashed inside with what little space it had.

"Quickly, my boy, get the rope!" Demanitus ordered.

Varian shakily scrambled to his feet and shot for the backpack. Once opened, he dug around for a few seconds before pulling out a thick rope. Varian rushed back, and together they've managed to secure the net.

"And... there we go!" Demanitus said. He watched as his assistant tied the final knot. “Well done! I don’t know about you, but I believe the rope is a much better alternative to keeping it secure.” He placed the net over his shoulder and chuckled. “After all, I would rather have my hands still intact.”

“Same here.” Varian deadpanned.

His boss gave him a concerned look. “In all seriousness, are you alright?” He asked.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Varian sighed. "Yeah... yeah, I'm fine." A sheepish smile tugged at his lips. "Besides, I should get used to this sort of thing since I am going to be working for you." He then went over to the backpack, closed the flap, and slipped it on. Varian faced Demanitus once more. "You know, I did pretty well on my first monster hunt. Maybe I could get a ra-?”

“No.”

“Worth a shot.” Varian shrugged.

Demanitus walked by him and went over to pick up the plate. "Anyways, we should head back. Once I have the Spotted Hopper caged up, you are free to leave." He said.

“The rest of the day off, huh?” Varian said. "Well, that would leave me time to experiment with-"

\---

"-blew up in my face! I was so sure I put the right amount of-" Varian blinked rapidly at the sight of the familiar building. "Oh, we're back already?"

As they walked inside, Demanitus nodded. "Yes, we are. "Now, would you mind placing the rest of our things on the table?" He asked.

“Yes, sir.” Varian said. He watched as the older man walked away. Varian then turned his attention to the table and made his way towards it. As he passed by the opened lab door, a voice, soft, feminine, and ancient, floated from the stairwell.

“ _Varian…_ ”

**Author's Note:**

> I also would like to mention something else! So, uh, I also made a second blog on Tumblr that is connected to the Au. It will have journal entries from the character's perspectives, drawings of the creatures they've come across, and notes/facts/analysis about the said creatures. At the moment, I haven't posted anything yet. But I plan to do so sometime next week.
> 
> Here's where its at if you're interested in checking it out: the-monstrumologist-au.tumblr.com


End file.
